‘Hider Theory' Talking Points

Dr. Ralph Klingbeil

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Dr. Klingbeil has been working in Search Theory for a long time, but in terms of thoughts of the Hider, he reflected, “I thought of hide in terms of anti-search.”

He continued, “When we thought to list all those examples, Hider Theory is not just the complement of Search Theory. Search is the process of attempting to find targets in a landscape, whereas Hider Theory would be used for signature reduction and exploition of clutter, camouflage, deception, decoys, and evasion to thwart search by an opponent.”

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Some typical Hider techniques:

Camouflage – The use of natural or artificial material on personnel, objects, or tactical positions with the aim of confusing, misleading, or evading the enemy.

Deception – Those measures designed to mislead the enemy by manipulation, distortion, or falsification of evidence to induce the enemy to react in a manner prejudicial to the enemy's interests.

Evasion – The process whereby individuals who are isolated in hostile or unfriendly territory avoid capture with the goal of successfully returning to areas under friendly control.

Decoy – An imitation in any sense of a person, object, or phenomenon that is intended to deceive enemy surveillance devices or mislead enemy evaluation.

Clutter (»Skolnik) – The conglomeration of unwanted signals received by the searcher's sensors (from the natural surroundings and sensor-dependent) and which can be exploited by the Hider.

Time is often a key variable. The target may not need to hide forever. This sense of time is important in thinking of Hider Theory. In discussing search and detection problems, sometimes a target looks like a non-target and vice versa. In exercises, many things look like targets that aren't, and we need to know the distinguishing characteristics that separate the target from the non-target. Classification decisions in their impending state cost the searcher time and make things better for the Hider.

Queueing and reneging in search involves the problem of clutter. By adjusting the gain on a screen, we will keep some of the clutter out of sight. Reneging on a target, for example, can involve a fighter giving up on a bomber who gets out of range.

Time is an important element. The Hider wants to hide for certain amount of time to avoid capture. But the downed pilot does not need to hide forever; only long enough to survive and to be rescued.

From view of hider, and in the probability of locating a target according to Koopman, you want to make detection range as short as possible and blend into background. You want to reduce the searcher's speed. If hiding, you want to make the search area as large as possible to reduce the chances of being found. The effective search time should be small compared to the available search time, which is shown in the random search equation below:

Expose for short times   TEFF = TEXP

Hide amongst false contacts   TEFF = T / ( 1 + FCR TINV)

In the Moscow-centered view of the world a small area means an easier search. In increasing the search area, value is attributed to the areas where there are more missiles. In the war game, the Red Team (the Hider) wants as few missiles in an area where the Blue Team would want to put the most missiles.